BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 55,796 Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 99.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,760 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 55,796 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Vericel were worth $5,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vericel by 98.5% during the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 226,015 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $8,048,000 after purchasing an additional 112,169 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in Vericel by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 560,419 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $19,957,000 after purchasing an additional 97,952 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 472,963 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $16,842,000 after acquiring an additional 37,784 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 509.1% during the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 836,481 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $43,514,000 after acquiring an additional 699,147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Wealth Management LLC DE bought a new stake in Vericel during the first quarter worth $5,496,000.

Vericel Trading Up 8.7 %

Shares of VCEL opened at $49.41 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $46.53 and a 200 day moving average of $45.16. Vericel Co. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $53.05. The company has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4,936.06 and a beta of 1.70.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $51.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.07 million. Vericel had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 0.21%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.16) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vericel Co. will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VCEL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. TD Cowen began coverage on Vericel in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price target on Vericel from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vericel presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vericel news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 1,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.84, for a total value of $67,568.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,324.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Vericel news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 1,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.84, for a total value of $67,568.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 487 shares in the company, valued at $22,324.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 6,772 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.02, for a total transaction of $304,875.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,924.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,791 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,394. Company insiders own 7.20% of the company’s stock.

Vericel Company Profile

Vericel Corporation, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and distribution of cellular therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care markets in North America. The company markets autologous cell therapy products comprising MACI, an autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane for the repair of symptomatic, and single or multiple full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee; Epicel, a permanent skin replacement humanitarian use device for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with deep-dermal or full-thickness burns; and NexoBrid, a biological orphan product for eschar removal in adults with deep partial-thickness and/or full-thickness thermal burns.